Kenneth Hart/The Independent
Ashland — A state highway safety official was in the region on Thursday to distribute grant checks to four police departments.
The Ashland, Catlettsburg, Flatwoods and Raceland departments received traffic safety grants totaling $36,314 from Craig M. Birdwhistell, law enforcement liaison for the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety.
The federally funded grants from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are administered by the state Office of Highway Safety, a division of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
Flatwoods received the largest of the awards, $11,000. Raceland was next with $9,694, followed by $8,000 for Ashland and $7,620 for Catlettsburg.
According to Birdwhistell, the money will be used by the departments during the coming year to help fund their efforts to curb impaired driving, speeding and other dangerous driving practices, and to help them educate the public on the importance of seat belt and child safety seat usage.
Catlettsburg, Flatwoods and Raceland all can use their grant funds to pay officer overtime during enforcement blitz periods and to purchase equipment, Birdwhistell said. Ashland is limited to using funds for overtime. Also, Ashland must put up 50 percent matching funds for its award, he said.
The way the program is designed, departments can use the funds for overtime and/or equipment during their first two years of eligibility, Birdwhistell said. In the third year, they can be used for overtime only, and, in subsequent years, the departments much provide the 50 percent matches, he said.
The APD has been involved with the program since 2006, said Maj. Todd Kelley, who writes the grant for the department. During that period, the department has received more than $120,000, which it has used to purchase radar guns, in-car cameras and various other equipment, he said.
“Ashland has been a leader in this effort for many years,” Birdwhistell said.
KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.
